Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has highlighted the increasingly strong solidarity and integration between Southeast Asian countries as one of ASEAN's greatest achievements in the past decade.
Addressing the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos on October 8, Marsudi said that ASEAN has been able to navigate the increasingly sharp competition of great powers. AOIP (ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific) has also supported inclusive collaboration in the region.
The minister also highlighted the achievements of the ASEAN Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which encouraged regional economic integration and united opposing groups.
During the meeting, held ahead of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits slated for October 9, Marsudi stated that her fellow foreign ministers had succeeded in giving top priority to ASEAN in their countries' respective foreign policies and playing an important role in ASEAN's transformation.
ASEAN's future success will be determined by how the grouping can respond to existing challenges, such as maintaining regional stability and peace, demonstrating solidarity, and continuing to strengthen institutional capacity, she noted.
Marsudi also accentuated the importance of ASEAN continuing to commit to international law and ASEAN values and principles, including respect for human rights.
Indonesia has initiated a meeting between stakeholders in Myanmar and a meeting of the special envoys related to the Myanmar issue in Jakarta recently.
In order to resolve the problem in Myanmar, Marsudi has invited ASEAN to continue encouraging inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders in Myanmar and emphasised the importance of international support for implementing the Five-Point Consensus (5PC).
Another important point regarding the Myanmar issue that Marsudi also mentioned was the importance of ASEAN acting to address the issues of human and drug trafficking that worsen conditions in Myanmar as well as of humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar./.
